AN: I'm kind of getting into my own version of the lore in this chapter, and so it's gonna be a little AU up in here. Just as a heads-up.

Gabriel paced back and forth in front of the windows in his office. He had been unable to sleep all night long. To think that the Cat Miraculous had been within his reach, only to have that disrespectful boy of his renounce it and hide it somewhere, made his blood boil.

But it raised the question: How had Adrien gotten the Cat Miraculous in the first place? Gabriel himself had scoured through ruined temples in Tibet looking for the Moth Miraculous, and Emilie had received her Peacock Miraculous from her grandmother—who had also found it in Tibet. But Adrien had never been abroad. Somebody had to have given him the ring, plain and simple.

"Nooroo," Gabriel said. "You mentioned that to cleanse the Moth Miraculous of evil, I would have to take it to a Guardian."

"Yes," Nooroo said, a note of hopefulness in his voice, "or Ladybug could purify the Moth Miraculous."

"Then a Guardian must be here in Paris," Gabriel said. "That's how Adrien got his ring. And that's who he must have given it back to. So I have hope—I just have to find this Guardian. But how…how can I do so? There's no way Adrien would tell me…unless…yes. I could tell him I am sorry. That I have repented. I could ask him to take me to the Guardian so the Guardian can cleanse my Miraculous…and when Adrien does, I'll transform and seize the Cat Miraculous by force. I'll take all the Miraculous by force! I shall have my own army to fight against Ladybug, and—"

Nooroo scoffed. "Adrien won't believe you."

"What was that, you impudent insect?"

Nooroo folded his tiny arms. "You can't lie to someone like your son. He'll see right through it. Somebody as honest as he is can spot lies. And you've given him absolutely no reason to trust you."

"Then I'll give him a reason to trust me," Gabriel said. "I'll tell him the truth about his mother."

Adrien lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling. He had forgotten how lonely he was before he had Plagg, and the thought of not being able to go back to school made him feel even worse. He was alone again. Worse than alone.

It was the worst he'd felt since losing his mother all those years ago.

But there was a glimmer of hope. He'd told Ladybug to come find him, and work with him to save Gabriel. He didn't know how long he'd have to wait, but eventually, she would come and save him from all of this.

There was a knock on the door.

"What?" Adrien snapped, a little more harshly than he meant to.

The door opened, and his father walked in. "Adrien…I hoped we could talk."

"About what, exactly?"

"Your mother. About why she's gone in the first place."

Adrien sat bolt upright. His father never talked about his mother. "What do you mean?"

Gabriel sat at the foot of Adrien's bed, drew a deep breath, and sighed. "Your mother was an extraordinary woman. She was kind, selfless, and brave. It was because of her selflessness that she disappeared."

Adrien blinked, unsure of what to say.

"Your mother…Adrien, your mother was a Miraculous holder."

"You're joking."

"No. She held the Miraculous of the Peacock. Her grandmother found it in Tibet and gave it to her when your mother was a very small girl. Her whole life, she was a superheroine in the shadows of Paris. She would stop robberies, muggings, all variety of crimes. Police would sometimes find criminals with signed confessions delivered right to the station. The news people never could find out a thing about her, she was so discreet." A smile danced across Gabriel's lips. "She even saved me, once, while we were dating. It was in University, and a group of drunk athletes were ganging up on me, calling me…unpleasant things…because I was in the fashion school. I still shudder to think what they would have done to me had she not shown up. But there she was, leaping out of the shadows and defending me. I had never seen anything so beautiful as her. And after she beat the athletes senseless, she looked at me, winked, and disappeared back into the shadows. I didn't know it was her until she told me after we were married, and introduced me to her Kwami, Duusuu, and explained the Miraculous. She said that she couldn't very well keep secrets from me if we were married.

"After you were born, Adrien, I started to beg her to put her Miraculous aside. But she refused to do so. And one night…when we were out on a walk, she went to answer the cry of someone in distress…" Gabriel drew a deep breath.

"And she never came back," Adrien whispered.

Gabriel nodded. "Your mother was not the type to leave for no reason. And…I hired private investigators to search the city for her, as you know. The police never found her either. I assumed the worst. But years later, as I was wandering the streets for fashion inspiration, I came across a hole-in-the-wall pawn shop that had a pin in the window that looked like your mother's Miraculous. I could not help but buy it, if only to have something that reminded me of Emilie. When I got it home, I looked at it, and said, "If only Duusuu would come out of you and tell me what happened to my wife. And…she did. It was the Peacock Miraculous that I held in my hand."

"What? You actually found Mother's Miraculous?" Adrien asked.

"Yes. And Duusuu told me what had happened. I warn you, Adrien…the story is not pleasant."

Adrien involuntarily clenched his fists. "Tell me what happened."

"She was shot through the head." Tears began to stream from Gabriel's eyes. She was shot through the head by common criminals. She thought she had defeated them all, but as she was walking away one of them roused and shot her. That was the last thing Duusuu remembered, until I woke her up."

"So the criminals must not have known what the Miraculous was, and taken it, and pawned it?" Adrien said.

"That is all that I can imagine. Duusuu imagines this is the case, as well. That, and only people with a certain type of aura are able to use the Miraculous. At least, that is what Duusuu told me. That is why she responded to me, but not the criminals who seized the Peacock Miraculous. I spoke with Duusuu for many hours, and it was she who told me about the other Miraculous that existed. She was the one who told me of the power of the Cat and Ladybug Miraculous, and it was at that point I began my plan to find the Moth Miraculous. I found it, eventually, in Tibet, with Duusuu's help. After that, I dismissed her. But I have kept the Miraculous ever since."

"Prove it," Adrien said.

Gabriel pulled a jewelry box out of his pocket and opened it. Inside was a beautiful peacock pin. "Duusuu," Gabriel whispered. "Come out."

A glowing blue orb appeared, and a peacock-like Kwami emerged. "Gabriel," the Kwami said. "It's been over a year, hasn't it?"

"Well over," Gabriel said. "And unfortunately, I must say farewell to you again. I renounce you, Duusuu."

The Kwami disappeared back into the pin.

Adrien's mouth fell open. "So…you're really telling the truth, then…"

"Yes, Adrien," Gabriel said. "I have not lied to you."

"Why tell me now? Why not tell me sooner?"

"I only wanted to protect you, Adrien. That is all I have ever wanted. And…I've thought long and hard. My abuse of the Miraculous has corrupted both it and me. I'm ready to give it up, and have it purified."

Adrien's heart skipped. "You're serious?"

"Yes. Take me to the Guardian, and I'll give it to him myself."

Adrien shook his head. "No. I can't do that. But you can give me the Moth Miraculous and I'll take it to him."

"It has to be me," Gabriel snapped. "Isn't that right, Nooroo?"

A tiny Kwami peeked out from beneath Gabriel's scarf, looked at Adrien, and shook his head no. "Yes, Master. That's right."

"You might have been telling the truth about Mother," Adrien said, as rage filled him, "but you're lying to me now. You just want to get to the Guardian so you can get the Cat Miraculous."

"Ah. So you did return it to the Guardian who gave it to you."

Adrien's cheeks got hot. He hadn't meant to let that detail slip. "Yeah, I did. So? You're never going to find him. Now if you're serious, you'll give me both of those Miraculous you have. If you're not, then get the hell out of my room."

"Language, Adrien," Gabriel said, shaking his head. He stood up and tucked the box with the Peacock Miraculous back into his pocket. "Very well, if that's what you want, I'll do it. But keep in mind that you'll never leave this house again until I have the Ladybug and Cat Miraculous."

"Do you even know what will happen if you bring back Mother, anyway?" Adrien snapped. "Somebody else will lose somebody they love. Is that what you want?"

"Honestly, I don't give a damn about 'somebody else.' That's what your mother did, and that's why she's gone. She chose others over her own family. Selflessness is the worst kind of selfishness."

"You know what? You've become exactly the sort of person Mother would be fighting if she was still here. If you bring her back, do you think she'd even want anything to do with you?"

Gabriel raised a hand and slapped Adrien smartly across the cheek. "Don't talk about things you don't understand!" With that, he stormed from the room. There was the distinct click of a lock in the door.

A moment of silence filled the room.

Then Adrien grabbed his head and started sobbing, sobbing like he hadn't since he was a little boy. The thought of his mother being shot through the head. The thought of his father being a liar who probably didn't really love anyone but himself anymore. The thought of being locked up forever.

Come soon, Ladybug, Adrien thought. I can't bear this on my own.

AN: I really hope you're enjoying Metamorphosis, and even if you're not, I'd love to hear your thoughts. Thanks so much for reading and I'll hopefully update again soon. (Hopefully. NaNoWriMo is coming in November, so who knows?) If you like my writing, be sure to check out my profile for info on my original published novel.